Favorite era of Impulse records?

I just finished reading Ashley Kahn's The House that Trane Built, about the history of Impulse Records and the complicated image it developed during its heyday: starting out as a classy imprint for large-scale mainstream jazz projects, then moving on to a growing focus on the avant-garde thanks to the quiet leadership of John Coltrane, then wrestling with Coltrane's legacy before making a move back toward the same contemporary mainstream audience then being courted to by Hollywood labels such as Milestone.

It seems to me that the Impulse story breaks down into four basic periods, plus the later revival. What's your favorite? I've allowed you to make up to two choices to get a better spread.

(Obviously the list of artists I've provided on scratches the surface and is far from exhaustive, leaving out many major figures of Impulse's history. I'm not going to attempt to remedy that here.)

 

Some great records in 73-77 by Jarrett, Barbieri, Sam Rivers so I went with it along with the obvious 64-67.

 

I think the earliest period, where they were putting out great records by swing-era guys like Hodges, Duke, and even Pee Wee Russell alongside some of Coltrane's most avant-garde stuff (e.g. Live at the Village Vanguard and Impressions) and Cecil Taylor, along with great, well-arranged hard bop by the likes of Freddie Hubbard and Oliver Nelson makes this a really underrated time in the company's history. Many of the albums are famous but few people have a sense of how sweeping their musical vision was.

 

I voted for the earliest era, but would extend it to '61-'65 as the perfect era, for me. The great Gil Evans and Oliver Nelson records, plus my favorite Coltrane time period, encapsulating the late Atlantic stuff along with most of the classic Quartet recordings. I like late period Coltrane, and listen to it from time to time, but there is enough incredible music in the first half of the decade to last a lifetime.

 

Favourite rather than what you consider the best? Right...

Although I can appreciate, and indeed own, a lot of the early classics I probably spend more time listening to post-Coltrane's death Impulse than any other era - Alice Coltrane, Pharoah, Shepp, Jarrett, Sam Rivers, and the wonderful trio of Marion Brown in the 70s - so I'm going for the 68-72 and 73-77. Some very under-rated or maybe under-recognised music there.

Now, if they'd only get around to reissuing the four John Klemmer...

 

The peak for me was around 'The Magic Of Ju-Ju.' Loads of posthumous Coltrane titles and about to reissue loads of Sun Ra. Not that I don't love a lot of the mid-60s stuff, but a lot of labels were doing that at the same time. The Shepp, Sanders, Brown, A. Coltrane stuff, even Haden's ''Liberation Music Orchestra' - no one else was quite putting that stuff out. Impulse! just nailed it.

 

I believe Magic of Ju-Ju was released in late 1967. I agree that it's a good place to start what I call the "spiritual groove period" characterized by stuff like Pharoah's Karma and Alice's Journey in Satchidananda and stretching into about 1972.

The posthumous Coltrane titles actually took a short while to get going. It is true that the initial trio of Expression (intended by Coltrane as a kind of musical last testament), Om (approved by Coltrane for release but delayed until early 1968), and Live at the Village Vanguard Again (IIRC also approved by Coltrane) all followed very quickly after his death. There was also Cosmic Music which was put together by Alice for release in late 1968.

However, the most canonical posthumous releases had to wait until the 1970-1974 period, when they were prepared by Ed Michel with Alice's approval and help. This includes stuff like Transition (1970), Sun Ship (1971), Infinity, Live in Seattle, Concert in Japan (all 1972) and finally Africa/Brass Sessions, Vol. 2 and Interstellar Space (in 1974) and The Other Village Vanguard Tapes (in 1977). There were also many compilations, including The Gentle Side of John Coltrane in 1975. ABC finally more or less emptied their vaults by releasing the Mastery of John Coltrane series in the later '70s. The title suggested another series of compilations but it was actually all unreleased stuff.

 

It's the second choice for me, especially if you consider posthumous Coltrane recordings within that period rather than when released.

But I spend a lot of time listening to works recorded in the period after that, and quite a bit in the period before, less with periods afterwards.

 

very similar to my experience.

Giving this a bump to see if anybody else has some opinions.

 

Aren the ABC pressings a big step down?